Move Over Languishing .. Dysphoria Has Arrived.

5 minute reads flow forward Feb 01, 2024

The other day, I heard someone use the word "dysphoria" to describe restlessness.

Immediately, I grabbed my phone and looked up the word. I love precision of language.

Here's what it says:

Dysphoria .. a state of dissatisfaction, anxiety or restlessness.
A feeling of being ill at ease.

What a perfect word to describe the state of many people today!

A few years ago, when the global timeout was ending, languishing was our word. It described the melancholic state of low energy that people had when trying to restart their lives.

The biggest gift that the timeout gave us was an opportunity to take stock of what really matters to us.

We stopped running around doing all the things we had become accustomed to and instead got to see what we really didn't love.

Then, when the go-gates opened, people didn't really know what to do and so they languished, hoping inspiration would eventually move them forward.

Now, a few years later, we face a declining standard of living, rising costs, increased taxation, global unrest, censorship and a cancel culture that says "adopt what we are saying or else."

Dysphoria is settling in.

Even escaping with the usual feasts of tech entertainment and self medication go-to's aren't working.

Dissatisfaction, anxiety and restlessness remain just under the skin, providing continuous irritation and discomfort. Creating a feeling of being ill at ease.

We don't trust our institutions. Their lies and overreaching actions go free of consequence. We intuitively know something is wrong. It all feels too big for us to grasp or fix, and nothing stops the dysphoria.

Ignorance is no longer available. Even if we don't know WHAT is really happening, we know in our gut it's not good and that the track ahead looks bleak if we continue in our current ways.

The global timeout may have shown us where our lives were unsatisfactory but we didn't figure out how to shift them.

In large part, this is because our nervous systems are so taxed from repeated states of high alert that attempting to face the issues of our time feels insurmountable. Instead we loop and loop in the deepest parts of our own insecurity.

What will we do when our avoidance, distraction and impairment practices no longer work at all? When dysphoria spreads from just under the skin into our whole lives?

Are we going to outsource the remainder of our energy hoping some outside system will take care of us or that Ai will live our life for us?

And if we do, is that really going to making us happy?

I know what you are thinking. Who is this gloom and doom chick? Shut her up!

As bleak as I may have painted this, I am more optimistic than ever that we will turn the ship and head for the best reality. I believe dysphoria is the final trigger that will make us shift.

Now that discomfort is pervasive and unrelenting, our conditioned self is forced to surface so we can see it, accept it and transform ourselves into the full true expression of who we are and what we want.

Here are 5 things to start transforming ..

ONE: Decide you want that better reality and you are prepared to shift your course.

Even though you may not know what that looks like, you can't make a change until you decide to do so. So, decide.

TWO: Reclaim your power.

Not only are we going to turn the ship, we're going to need extra power to move out of the current trajectory and get into the trajectory we want. That means we need all of our power.

To reclaim your power, start by observing where it's going now.

Do you give it over to auto-pilot habits, peer pressure, obligation, other people, escaping, worrying? If your power is going somewhere unhealthy or unproductive, pull it back.

Make a fresh conscious choice. Point your power where you want it to go or simply conserve it.

THREE: Connect with others who are also shifting.

Group flow is powerful and will pull you into your new track. Get together with others who are done with dysphoria and are taking back their lives.

Get together with people on tracks of self improvement.

FOUR: Define your lane.

What is your purpose in life? How do you contribute to a better world?

Being devoid of purpose and contribution will land anyone in dysphoria.

What is your special something to be and do? It's time to anchor in that and show up fully so you can enjoy the true expression of yourself, while contributing to your community and inspiring others.

FIVE: Align with the BIG I part of yourself.

Our human personality is a collection of experiences and habits playing out on repeat. It's a fabulous system that runs without awareness.

Who we truly are .. is pure awareness.

Align the little i and BIG I aspects of yourself, every single day, and operate as one whole being.

While our little i has the gift of memorizing and repeating patterns, it's our BIG I that sees beyond what is already known and into what's possible.

BIG I will open your eyes to better possibilities and directions.

Spend 15 minutes (minimum), each morning and evening, connecting with your breath and observing your mind, body, emotions and soul.

These first 5 steps with get you well on your way to learning how to FLOW.

Flow is a concept often reduced to peak performance only. Yet, in truth, FLOW is the path that transforms any struggle into its best outcome.

Flow is the undercurrent of life and, once you learn to align with it, you will face every struggle with the excitement of knowing you are already on route to a reality beyond your best imaginings.

If you are feeling the dysphoria I'm speaking of, know that you are not alone.